Short Workweek

After our proposal was completed, I was kinda thinking that I'd have time to mellow out. You know, sitting around in flipflops, sipping umbrella drinks, pretending to read a Ludlum thriller or a Hawking textbook, etc. (It's still OK to call it an "umbrella drink" if all you've done is poke a toothpick through a sticky note and floated it in your Diet Coke, isn't it? It doesn't make the drink taste any better -- it just makes me feel more like I'm at a tropical resort, even though I'm actually in my underwear on the couch, and am too lazy to even throw a Jimmy Buffet CD into the boombox. Sigh.) But no—I'm not being mellow. It hasn't worked out that way at all.
Last weekend went by way too quickly, with far too many chores to do. Fortunately, I was able to squeeze in some fun with my son -- we went to the movies and played tennis. But it's probably best if you don't ask him about it; I was brutally dominant during the tennis match, and then compounded the injury by applying an intellectual smackdown during our subsequent debate about anarchy vs. socialism vs. democratic capitalism. (I guess I'm glad that public education, plus the innate desire for youthful exploration of ideas, results in the willingness to participate in discussions on political/economic systems...but all the idealism a kid might possess is still no match for the logic you absorb from firsthand observation of how things work in the real world. Actually paying taxes, earning an income, donating to charities, etc. seems to grant a person some perspective that reading the dust jacket of an Abbie Hoffman book just doesn't duplicate. Another way of saying it? Well, how 'bout we just put Warren Buffett and Richard Branson in a room with Karl Marx and Chairman Mao and, you know, see what happens.)

In addition to performing the solemn parental duty of teaching my kid how to gracefully handle defeat, I also participated in multiple social events. On Saturday morning, I joined my friends Joe and Kristen in moving some of their possessions into their marvelous new home. I was of minimal utility, since I can only be trusted with nonbreakable items...but I'm proud to say that neither humans nor property were harmed. Other friends Tyler and Randy did far more of the work, but I was able to tote a fair number of boxes from the truck into the garage, so I may have sped up the process by a few minutes overall. Joe is a very sharp and well-organized guy, and under his guidance, the tasks went like clockwork. I enjoyed myself.*

*Disclaimer: The fact that I enjoyed myself during the move is due to the quality of the company I was with...not because of anything related to performing manual labor. The foregoing statement should not in any way be interpreted as an invitation to solicit my services for potential future moving day events. Don't even think about it.

My other social event for the weekend was an opportunity to watch the CU/CSU football game with my longtime friend Bob and his wife, Robyn. Bob had recently turned 50, so they invited some pals over to watch the game, knock back a few cold ones, and eat some tasty grilled treats. Bob and Robyn have a daughter who's about Tanner's age, so we had a few laughs telling stories about the fun we've had with our respective teenagers.

Of course, my bedtime arrived before the football game was over, so I missed the last part of the game. Having attending the University of Kansas, and therefore being ambivalent about who won (as long as it's not @#$%! K-State or stinking Nebraska), I was able to sleep peacefully.

As for the workweek, well, it's a short one. It's an "off" Friday for us this week, and with Labor Day on Monday, we only have to work 3 days. I am really looking forward to the upcoming weekend. On Friday night, Tanner and I are attending a "test marketing" panel, where we're supposed to provide feedback on a couple of new TV shows. (Please let it be a sitcom starring Carrot Top or William Hung!)

If that's not thrilling enough, there's even more happening on Saturday. First, I get to help my friends Tom and Tina move. (Unfortunately, Tina collects rocks, and they both love books, so I'm anticipating their boxes to be really, really heavy. It's a good thing that my swimming training has given me Schwartzeneggerian arms and the lower body stamina of a million Lance Armstrongs. I'll do fine, I'm sure.) After that, I am attending a charity fundraiser for Camp Paha. They'll have a silent auction there, so who knows what sorts of goodies I might come home with?

And finally, the weekend ends with Lockheed Martin Family Day at Elitch's. Tanner has agreed to come along with me, so I'm sure we'll be having deep philosophical & political discussions while riding roller coasters and eating partially-botulized midway hot dogs. Of course, that assumes that I'll be able to figure out where I stashed the tickets...

In any case, there should be much to report upon next week. If you want political convention coverage, you might want to go elsewhere, but if you want to hear about TV pilots that are too bland to risk putting on the air without testing, or about proper rock-filled box lifting techniques, or even about eating questionable carnival food and then strapping yourself into a vehicle specifically designed to separate you from said food...then I'm your man. Stay tuned for all the exciting details. And have a great week!